


Happy ZIXuary!

by Anonymous



Category: TsukiPro the Animation
Genre: Babysitter AU, Break Up, Established Relationship, Gen, I Love Crossing Units and Companies, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rabbits Kingdom AU, SOARA as Kids Give Me Life, Six Gravity and Procellarum Mentioned, ZIX Koki AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29143470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Happy ZIX month! I'm hoping to do drabbles for ZIX all the way up until the stage debuts on the 26th! I hope you enjoy and consider supporting ZIX!First up is a classic Koki and Makoto shipping in the Rabbits Kingdom universe!
Relationships: Etou Kouki/Sugai Makoto
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Puppy Love

**Author's Note:**

> Happy ZIX month! I'm hoping to do drabbles for ZIX all the way up until the stage debuts on the 26th! I hope you enjoy and consider supporting ZIX! 
> 
> First up is a classic Koki and Makoto shipping in the Rabbits Kingdom universe!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becoming the king of the newly established Dog Kingdom brought many stresses into Koki's life. However, spending time with his love makes everything worthwhile.

_When peace returned to the world, change came along with it. The White Rabbit Kingdom and the Black Rabbit Kingdom were brought together after the King and the Demon Lord of the world brought down a great evil. The other animal kingdoms regained their powers, and their kingdoms reestablished, but the fate of change did not leave them untouched. The world chose another lord within the Wolf Kingdom. Not to dethrone Roen, but to challenge his beliefs._

_The newly chosen lord, Koki, was of dog birth. The dogs were seen as the lesser of the species within the Wolf Kingdom, outshined by the wolves’ better capabilities. Alas, the world noticed that the dogs had more purpose and provided them a ruler. Apostasy brewed through the Wolf Kingdom due to the world showing dogs as equal value to the wolves. Thus, to prevent a civil war, Roen gave Koki and the rest of the dog species land to establish their own kingdom._

_This was to be the end of the story of wolf and dog. A happy ending for both ends of the species. Except, even with peace, the world is not perfect. The tension between the two canine kingdoms continues to fester, and every moment felt like walking on a field of land mines...At any moment, one will trigger and a civil war the explosion to come…_

At least, that’s what Koki always felt. He wished he had the carefree disposition of his chosen prince, who happily makes music and cries because the squirrel population dwindles due to his urge to “play” with them. Koki was never envious of the auburn-haired prince, though. He knew that meant he and his glasses adorned prime minister did well to rule the kingdom in bliss and peace. Letting only him carry the burdens of his position the world gave him. 

He did wish that peace with the wolves would come sooner and that his kingdom could live in true peace rather than a false sense of tranquility. That would mean the spy his guard captain sent to the Wolf Kingdom could retire and live with him as planned. Koki hated the idea of having the wolf-born guard having to serve as a spy and ambassador between the canine kingdoms due to his close relationship with both lords. He especially hated how his beloved childhood friend and current lover accepted the mission for his well-being.

Still, there were always positives, even in the most negative of situations. Koki lived by that thinking as it saved his heart and mentality from breaking. He lived every day, knowing that every few days of the week, he’ll be in his chambers, and a voice will come from the door to say…

“Your majesty.”

The familiar deep voice tore Koki from his thoughts and looked to his door to see the wolf he loved standing there still in his armor from the other kingdom. Koki smiled and tried to keep up his calm demeanor if someone came by, except his animal instincts betrayed him as his tail rapidly wagged. 

“Makoto. Are you here with a report?” Koki replied.

“Yes, and some of your time.” Makoto requested.

“The doors are locked, and no one is awake?”

“Yes. Ryota forced me to do some rounds before meeting you...everyone is in their chambers, and the curfew is in effect.” Makoto explained as he removed parts of his armor.

“Then all of my time is reserved for you, Makoto-kun~,” Koki said happily, his arms open wide.

“The wolves show no signs of opening trade routes with you any time soon. However, I hear a few merchants are getting restless because of it.” 

Koki pouted. His request for a hug was only met with a tedious report he was hoping Makoto would skip. 

“Can’t this report wait until after we catch up?” Koki implored.

“Last time I agreed to that, I never go the report in,” Makoto recalled.

“Anyway, the merchants feel that their profits would increase being able to sell constantly since your so close. This can work to your advantage.” 

As Makoto continued with his report, Koki took his needs into his own hands and approached his hardworking spy.

“I can imagine them wanting to establish an underground trading ring…”

Koki wrapped his hands around Makoto’s neck.

“But that would be risky in attending. Ryota would have to send another spy in to do business…”

The lord nuzzled his spy’s neck and sighed happily.

“I’m hoping maybe to find an alternative solution…Kou, please.”

Koki’s ears perked up when the nickname escaped Makoto’s lips and moved away from the crevasse of his lover’s neck. He loved looking into Makoto’s eyes, even if most find red eyes to be scary or unsettling. But to Koki, his lover’s ruby red eyes showed the most emotion, and it always told him how Makoto was feeling better than Makoto did. Makoto’s expression was stern, but his eyes were gentle and accompanied with the small blush on his face, Koki found it hard to take him seriously. 

“What is it?” Koki asked teasingly.

“You’re being a distraction.”

“I only wanted a hug. I’ve missed you, Makoto.”

“Kou,” Makoto started to argue but instead sighed and wrapped his arms around the lord. “I’ve missed you too.”

Koki hummed happily, and Makoto let out a small laugh before leaning down and kissing the dog lord. To his joy, Koki was able to pry his spy from his report and earned a kiss for his efforts. It was sweet, fun moments like these that Koki wished to always have with Makoto. 

“I love you.” Koki breathed when they pulled away.

“I love you too,” Makoto replied in a low tone, pressing his lips onto Koki’s once again. 

No matter the situation, the negatives, and the stress that came with ruling the kingdom, one night with Makoto pushed those all away. Koki could get through anything knowing that his work will one day allow them to be together always.


	2. Mitsuru's Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsuru finally had a day to himself, but a sneaky misunderstanding leads him to spend it taking care of five children...

As an aspiring model, Mitsuru had many facades and lies for himself to preserve his image and relate to his targeted audience. However, in his long repertoire of faces, he never presented himself as someone who enjoyed being around children. At least, that’s what he thought. Yet, on a rare day off from both school and modeling, Mitsuru was visited by a friend and five children. 

“Good afternoon Mitsuru.” Koki greeted with a small smile.

“Need something?” Mitsuru asked, glancing between Koki and his mini army of gremlins. 

“Here are the children you’ll be watching over today. They’ve eaten breakfast already, so they should be fine for another hour or so.”

“Wait, what? I never agreed to any babysitting?!”

Koki tilted his head, “But Ryota said you were eager to watch over them since you have time off today.”

Mitsuru hissed through his teeth. Of course, his soulmate rival would throw this on him. He knew this was his attempt to make him grow a grey hair or gain wrinkles. 

“Look, Koki, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, but…” 

“Oh hey! This guy wears makeup!” The maroon-haired child interrupted, pointing at Mitsuru’s mini makeup set up in his living room.

Before Mitsuru could reject the offer of babysitting, the maroon-haired child rushed past him and into his apartment while the remaining four followed suit. Koki giggled at the children’s sudden excitement over the makeup, but Mitsuru simply scowled. 

“Don’t you dare touch anything! Or better yet, don’t eat it!” Mitsuru warned.

“We’re not going to eat makeup, dummy!” This time, an auburn child spoke up.

“Yeah!” The maroon child chimed in.

“You agree, but I remember Ren telling me you ate lipstick.” The black-haired child teased.

“Hey! I was like three, and what do you expect when Mama kept saying it tasted like cherries!” The maroon child whined. 

“Let’s just be careful. This isn’t ours after all.” The blonde child advised.

The children continued their conversation as if invading someone’s home was naturally a pass time for them. Mitsuru huffed and turned his attention back to Koki, who already left his doorstep and made his journey home.

“Hey! Kou-kun wait! You can’t leave me with them!” Mitsuru shouted. 

“You’ll do fine, Mitsuru! They’re a very kind group of kids. I promise they won’t cause you too much trouble.” Koki replied. “I have to go now. Thank you so much for helping out. Their parents will pick them up in a few hours!”

Mitsuru watched as Koki disappeared over the hill and left him with five children he did not know. The model pulled out his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his texts. Ultimately, he did find the text from Koki that came to him early this morning about dropping off the children. 

_I’ll be dropping the kids off around noon! Their names are Sora, Morihito, Soshi, Nozomu, and Ren. Thank you again!_

“Damn it…” Mitsuru cursed under his breath before pocketing his phone and approaching the children.

“Can we do each other's makeup?” The maroon boy asked.

“No. This makeup is very expensive, so adults only.” Mitsuru declared and closed the kit causing the children to ‘aww’ in unison. 

Mitsuru put away his makeup set up in his room and returned to the children making themselves comfortable on his sofa.

“Alright, roll call. Which one of you brats are Sora?” Mitsuru asked.

“That’s me!” The auburn-haired child raised his hand. 

“Morihito?”

“Here!” The blonde child waved.

“Soshi?”

“Yo!” The black-haired child responded.

“Nozomu?”

Before raising his hand, the maroon child took the grey-haired kid’s hand and raised their hands together. “I’m Nozomu! And this is Ren!”  


“Sweet, that was a two in one answer,” Mitsuru noted. “So what do you usually do with Kou-kun?”

“Usually, he’ll let us make a snack together and make extra for our parents.” Ren quietly responded.

“I can’t cook. Next.”

“We draw and make fun crafts!” Nozomu proposed.

“I’d prefer not to waste paper. Next.”

“Kou-san lets us play video games!” Sora revealed.

“Hm…” Mitsuru pondered on the activity. _‘Video games would keep the brats busy for a few hours.’_

“Alright, video games it is. I don’t have a system, though. I’m hoping you brought your own.”

“Mori brings his Switch all the time!” Sora beamed.

“Ah, but I don’t suppose any of you know how to set it up.”

“I do! However, the only game that isn’t educational related is Mario Kart.” Morihito admitted.

“That’s fine. I’m sure the rest of you won’t mind either?” Mitsuru prompted, and the kids all shook their heads. “Set it up then, Mori~”

As the small blonde child worked to set up the game console, Mitsuru observed the other children. They all seem closed based on how they talked and the relationships already established. Ren was the quiet, shy one who clung to either Nozomu or Soshi, rarely making eye contact with Mitsuru. Nozomu was an annoyingly curious but charismatic kid, causing Mitsuru to subconsciously answer his questions just from his positive energy. Soushi seemed to be more mature for his age, but he was as childish as the rest of them. Then there was the tiniest child of them all, Sora. He seemed to take control of the group and acted as their leader. 

In Mitsuru’s opinion, it was a weird group of friends. Still, he was thankful for it as he hoped their close relationship would keep them occupied in playing with each other and leave him out of things. 

“Done!” Morihito announced and brought over an assortment of tiny different colored controllers. 

“This is a four-player game, so two of us will have to sit out,” Nozomu explained.

“I volunteer then~” Mitsuru raised his hand only to have a green controller plopped into his lap.

“No way! You have to play with us!” Sora argued.

“Why? I’m most likely not good.”

“So? You’re our babysitter. It's in your job to play with us, good or not!” Nozomu joined in.

“What the hell? Since when...Fine, whatever.” Mitsuru relented and picked up the controller.

The children sorted out who was to play between themselves with the result of Morihito and Ren sitting out. 

“Morihito can be on my team! Then we can switch every other race!” Sora proclaimed.

“Okay.” Morihito smiled.

“I’ll be on Mitsuru’s team,” Ren announced and crawled across his friends onto Mitsuru’s lap.

Mitsuru blinked. He was hoping Ren would be his favorite, for the shy child would leave him alone the entire time he was in his presence. He let out a sigh as his now previous favorite child sat comfortably in his lap and relented to being in a team. 

Either way, Mitsuru felt if he played horribly for a few rounds, the kids would take his karting privileges away, and he can relax. However, to his surprise, he grew pretty competitive while playing the game. Sora and Nozomu were the best, and it showed in their techniques. Still, Mitsuru found himself growing accustomed to the controls and rearing them in third place. When he finally did get first place, he let out an excited cheer that surprised him and the children. 

“Ah, sorry.” Mitsuru apologized, relaxing in his seat.

“No problem! You totally deserved it!” Nozomu complimented.

“We’re close to winning.” Ren softly cheered.

“We? You haven’t even played, Ren-kun!” Mitsuru let out a small laugh. “Oh, I see. You made us a team so that I could win and you could take some of my glory. How sneaky~” 

Mitsuru proceeded to tickle Ren as punishment, and the tiny boy started laughing. The others laughed at the scene, and when things calmed down, Mitsuru realized this was the first time he made himself and the others truly smile. They played a few more rounds of the game before Mitsuru asked them to turn it off. He knew that the children shouldn’t play games for too long, even if it were against his original plan of occupying them until their parents came. 

As lunchtime approached, Mitsuru ordered the children a pizza. As they waited for the delivery, he found himself dragged into a game of pretend with the kids. They formed a band with Sora and Morihito on guitar, Soshi on drums, Nozomu on bass, and Ren on keyboard. Mitsuru was assigned as their manager and also played as the excited audience when the band performed. He found it so charming how focused the five kids were in playing their imaginary instruments and felt that maybe they could be a serious band in the future. 

When the doorbell rang, signifying the pizza man had arrived, Mitsuru and the children found it funny to prank the delivery person. They sent Sora to open the door while the rest of them hidden from view. 

“One large pizza with...oh.” The delivery man paused.

“Here you go!” Sora handed the man the money and took the pizza.

“Oh, thank you…” The man pursed his lips together. “Where're your parents, little guy?”

“Hm? Can’t you tell? I’m 26 years old.” Sora declared and closed the door on the confused delivery person. 

The group laughed about the silly prank while enjoying pizza and later, turning on a movie. Those few hours passed without realizing it, and the first set of parents came to pick up their children. One by one, Mitsuru said goodbye to brats, and part of him felt sad when he said, “see you later!” He figured with his busy schedule and Koki being their main sitter, he wouldn’t see those kids again. 

Alone again in his apartment, Mitsuru cleaned up his company's remains and let out a small sigh. He resented Ryota for sending Koki and the children his way, not because of his original fear of aging him. But now, he was angry that he grew attached to them. The rotten lot grew onto him like mold. Mitsuru’s phone dinged, and he pulled the device out of his pocket. He saw that money was sent to him via Koki, along with the simple message of “thank you.”

Mitsuru smiled at the message and went to pocket his phone again until another notification surfaced. He pressed it, and it switched to his LINE messages with Koki.

_The kids loved you! But I was told Nozomu left his hoodie at your apartment. We’ll be going ice skating next week, so can you swing by and give it to him then? And maybe join us…?_

“The sly bastard…” Mitsuru chuckled to himself. 

The model didn’t take much time to reply: _Okay, I’m in!_


	3. Friendly Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There will come a day, Makoto will ban the members of Growth from his apartment...

There will come a day, Makoto will ban the members of Growth from his apartment. 

After a long day of constant jobs, Makoto ended his workday by collaborating with Tsukipro’s Growth unit. Like the snake he was, Mitsuru managed to slither away right when the job was over—leaving Makoto to the sociable group who wished nothing more but to celebrate a job well done together. 

The five traveled to a nearby bar and celebrated until Makoto tried to excuse himself early. Koki insisted that he and his unit keep Makoto company to his home. Now, Makoto should’ve gone with his gut intuition and rejected the offer, which the old version of himself would do so without hesitation. Sadly, he was trying to be on more friendly terms with his rivals, plus, Koki’s pleading face was too hard to push away. Thus, Makoto found himself squeezed in the back of a cab with Growth to his apartment. 

Once there, he felt the polite thing to do was offer them to stay for a bit. He regretted making the polite offer as, of course, their answer was yes. Makoto tried to conceal the dread inside him as he had to spend more time with Growth, who didn’t even seem to falter in energy. Then again, he figured this was something they were accustomed to doing, spending time together and talking the night away. But to Makoto, it was unnecessarily exhausting. 

The rest of the night was a blur to Makoto. Once he hit the couch and a good ten minutes into talking to Growth, he was asleep. He woke up to the feeling of a wet tongue against his face and had to use his hand to push his dog away. Gonzaburou barked and jumped off Makoto, his tail wagging, seemingly pleased about waking his owner. 

“Time for the morning walk already…?” Makoto groaned and rubbed his eyes before glancing around for a clock.

He blinked and slowly came to the realization he wasn’t in his room. The memories of Growth being present in his home ran through his mind, and the idol went to pull out his phone. He looked to see Koki had already messaged him last night, apologizing for taking up his time when he was tired. He also apologized for the lack of restraint he had on Ryota and that they followed suit in his idea, which made Makoto raise a brow. 

“What did Ryota do?” Makoto questioned.

He slid off the couch and started examining his apartment for any traces of mischief but didn’t settle on anything. Gonzaburou continued to bark and follow him, causing Makoto to lean down to pet the dog.

“Alright, we’ll go on your walk. But it’s going to be short since you didn’t let me tidy up.” Makoto reasoned, which earned another lick to the face before his pet bolted to the door.

Makoto figured whatever Ryota did, it didn’t affect too much of anything and decided to leave it at that. He went out of his apartment once he attached the leash to Gonzaburou, and they proceed around the block. There weren’t many passersby since it was so early in the morning, but the ones he did see seemed to hide their laughter upon looking at him. 

The idol pulled out his phone and turned on his camera, flipping the lens to show himself. Makoto instantly choked on air as he saw his reflection, finally understanding what Growth did to him. His face was covered in way too much makeup that was now horribly smeared due to Gonzaburou’s wake up call. Then there were tiny braids adorned in his hair that obnoxiously stuck out in different directions. 

A part of Makoto knew this was his fault for leaving himself vulnerable to his rivals. A mistake he vowed never to do again. He took a quick selfie and sent it to Mitsuru with the comment: Never let Growth into your home.

He received a bunch of laughing emojis as a response and that the picture was now set as his contact photo in Mitsuru’s phone. Makoto sighed and went on focusing on his walk with his dog, the one being that he knew didn’t care for his appearance. And through the remainder of the walk, Makoto compromised a revenge plan against his assailants.


	4. Let's Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto reflects on his relationship with Koki and how it ended...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, I sure did miss a day! I'm hoping to make it up later, or not. Well anyway, please enjoy either way~

A tight leather uniform that encased his body pleasantly clashing with his blue eyes and blond hair. A princely face adorned with a stern yet seductive expression that sent the audience crazy. They weren’t the only ones affected by ZIX’s Eto Koki alluring good boy gone bad look. Through practice and discipline, Makoto learned to stop stealing glances at his bandmate. It also helped that after every show, he dragged him into either of their dressing rooms and locked the door so Makoto could truly appreciate Koki’s appearance both in and out of uniform. 

Yes, dating within the unit had its perks. The slight touches and provocative gazes written into the choreography were done in a truly spicy form due to his relationship with Koki. The celebration after a show well done and then waking up the next morning to see a stunning prince sleeping peacefully beside him. Makoto wouldn’t change anything about his life as he truly believed he obtained true happiness. 

The dream job, the dream man, nothing seemed out of place for Makoto’s future. But he knew, a small part of him knew that he didn’t share that future vision with Koki. He tried to bury that feeling down, far down within himself. Koki never mentioned it, leading Makoto to reason to himself that it was all in his head. 

However, Koki’s demeanor became too depressed for Makoto to lie to himself anymore. He knew something was wrong but had no clue how to address it. But with few friends to turn to, Makoto had to seek advice from the least romantic person he knew. 

“Have you tired, talking to him?” Mitsuru advised.

Makoto pressed his lips together. The answer was simple, and he felt relatively ignorant for not thinking about that sooner. 

“And when I mean talk to him, I mean sitting down like we’re doing right now and using words.” Mitsuru teased, and Makoto glared at him. 

“Koki and I talk,” Makoto lied.

“Are you sure? Every time I see you guys, you have your tongue down his throat.” 

Makoto responded by throwing a pillow at Mitsuru, who laughed at his agitated friend. He hated that Mitsuru wasn’t wrong. Makoto did try to be a good boyfriend outside of the sex and making out. He’d get a small laugh from Koki when he attempts to be romantic, but his words continuously get twisted up and come out threatening. He would provide his boyfriend gifts, which Koki would happily take from him and later give a gift in return. But they never sat down and talked about their relationship. 

Before ZIX, Koki, Makoto, Mitsuru, and two others were solo talents for Sunpro. Kensuke and Ryota were Koki’s closest friends, but the vain in Makoto’s existence. When they left Sunpro, it wasn’t a clean exit. They were offered an opportunity to become a unit and wanted Koki to join them. But at the same time, Koki was offered to become a unit with Makoto and Mitsuru. Koki stayed, and that brought strain in his relationship with the former Sunpro talents. From there, Makoto and Koki started their relationship. The arrogant part of Makoto genuinely felt Koki stay at Sunpro for him, making him feel good inside. Except Koki didn’t show the same happiness as he did. 

They never talked about Koki’s friends leaving, nor have they talked about their relationship at all. It started with sleeping together after their first concert, and Makoto claimed Koki to be his boyfriend since then. The more Makoto reflected, the more he began to come to terms that he may have been the problem. It was then he decided a talk was necessary. He needed Koki to ensure him that he wasn’t the problem and things were fine. 

Yet, things were not fine.

“It’s not you, Makoto. It has never been you.” Koki started, holding Makoto’s hand.

Makoto instantly felt relief.

“But…”

The relief turned back into fear. 

“I’ve been keeping up with Ken and Ryo. They’ve been doing well as Promessa.” Koki admitted. 

“That’s nothing to be ashamed about, and I do the same to compare ratings. It’s an improvement tactic.” Makoto reasoned.

“That’s not why I’ve been keeping up with them.”

“Oh?”

“Don’t you ever miss them?” 

“Hard to miss who you barely even knew.”

“Ah…” Koki paused. 

“Makoto, are you happy at Sunpro?” Koki asked, gazing into Makoto’s red eyes.

“Yes. I have you, and ZIX is prospering. There’s no reason to be sad.” Makoto stated a matter of factly. 

He soon felt that was the wrong answer as Koki looked away, and his grip tightens a little around Makoto’s hand. 

“I see,” Koki mumbled.

“Are you happy at Sunpro?” Makoto raised an eyebrow.

“I’m with you, so of course I’m happy,” Koki replied, looking up again and giving Makoto a small smile.

“You’re dodging the question, Kou,” Makoto used his free hand to rub his boyfriend’s cheek, “Are you happy at Sunpro?”

Koki hesitated, and that made Makoto’s heart stop. 

“Makoto is in Sunpro, so yes, I am happy.”

Makoto let out a small sigh and pressed a kiss on Koki’s forehead. Once again, his conscience badgered him. He knew this wasn’t the real answer, and he knew Koki was hiding something. But this was the answer Makoto wanted to hear, that he wasn’t the problem and made Koki happy. Thus, Makoto’s cursed selfish side accepted it. 

“I’m glad. I want you to be happy, Koki.” Makoto flashed a rare smile. 

Their talk ended there when it should’ve gone further than it did. Makoto learned the hard consequences of his mistake when the following week Koki submitted his resignation. Everyone in the agency was shocked by Koki’s uncharacteristic bold move. To everyone, it happened without warning. But Makoto had a warning, and his foolish self didn’t heed it. 

“You’re quitting?!” Makoto interrogated in Koki’s dressing room of ZIX’s second to last show. 

“Yes.” Koki meekly replied. 

“When were you going to tell me? Or were you too scared to tell me? You wanted me to find out this way.” 

“No, I didn’t I...I was going to tell you after the show! The manager beat me to it, but I promise you I was going to tell you!” 

“What happened to being happy with me here, huh? Was I not enough for you?”

“Makoto, no, don’t say that!” Koki croaked, holding onto his shirt so tightly his hands were growing whiter than his already pale complexion. “I love you, Makoto. I was hoping our relationship was more than just our unit, more than just the company we are in.”

Makoto took a deep breath and held the bridge of his nose. “What are you going to do after this? What exactly was the plan here, Koki?!” He hissed.

“I’m going back to my parent’s house and taking simple modeling jobs here or there while I...while I fix what I had with Ken and Ryo.”

“...While you what?”

“I miss them, Makoto, and I want what they have. They’re so happy, and I want that happiness.”

“You should’ve said that.”

“No, even if I said it, what could you do, Makoto? ZIX already has its image, and there’s no changing it. Sunpro is already set in its ways, and you can’t change that either, even with your authority.”

“You’re so fucking selfish. You know that?” Makoto spat. 

At that point, Makoto knew he should’ve walked out. He knew his heart was full of resentment and his body raging in anger. Makoto loved Koki, and he should’ve reminded himself that when he decided to stay in that dressing room.

Koki’s eyes had tears pricking the edges, “We can still be together Makoto. We don’t have to change. I love you.”

“I hate you.”

Makoto wished he ended it there. He wished his mouth didn’t move on its own and say all of the brutal, spiteful things his brain was thinking at the time toward Koki. But he did. When he was finished, and all the anger had left his body, regret-filled its place. For all he saw after his vision was clear of red was Koki holding his hands to his mouth and sobbing. 

“Kou, I’m…”

“Get out.” Koki snapped at him.

Without saying another word, Makoto left. There was no final concert as Koki refused to see Makoto again. This leads to many rumors and talks about what could have happened, but Makoto was too crushed to care. In the final moments of his relationship with Koki, he saw him cry. He saw Koki get mad for the first and last time, and it was all his fault. 

Years passed, and Koki did appear on Sunpro’s radar again. He found a man named Mamoru, and together they formed Howl under Tsukipro. They held many collaboration songs with Promessa until finally, they combined into the unit Growth with Koki as their leader. Makoto was tempted to reach out to Koki. Tempted to pour his heart out in an apology the best way he could. But he didn’t because he knew how much of an amazing person Koki is. He knew that the bastard would forgive him and try to resprout a friendship. Makoto knew he didn’t deserve that, not yet at least. 

Makoto wanted to give Koki what he deserved and what his past self was foolish not to see: true happiness.


	5. I Love...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three little words give Makoto some trouble.

I love you.

One of the most challenging phrases to say in a couple, next to “will you marry me?” Makoto was struggling to tell Koki despite them dating for almost a year now. 

It wasn’t that Makoto didn’t love Koki. Everyone he knew would say that he practically worships his boyfriend, and Makoto would huff in response. But in a way, they weren’t wrong. Makoto did put Koki on a high pedestal in their relationship and even before then. And it’s the reason why now, he struggles to say, “I love you.” It was almost as if he wasn’t worthy to say such a thing to Koki. 

“Hey, that’s just Ryo-kun getting into your head!” Mitsuru proclaimed when Makoto confessed his conflicted feelings. “He is always telling you, you’re not worthy to love Koki or something of the sort. I thought you were tough enough to take it.”

“Hey, it’s not like there isn’t some truth to his insults,” Makoto grumbled. “Koki is something else, and honestly, he is wasted on a guy like me.”

“Yeah? Well, from what I can tell, Koki loves wasting his time~ So cheer up! Ryota is just mad he didn’t land Kou-kun.” Mitsuru encouraged, patting Makoto on the back.

“Thanks.” Makoto gave a small smile to his friend.

“But if you want to keep Koki, you’ll need to say you love him eventually. Koki is a sap, and he’ll start to get anxious if you don’t say it soon.”

Makoto nodded, “You’re right, but I don’t know when or how without getting nervous and saying nothing at all.”

“I could always tell him for you! I’ve been your translator for so long I wouldn’t mind.”

“Thanks, but that would be too impersonal. I need to tell Koki myself.”

“Alright, then practice with me.”

“Eh?”

“Tell me you love me as many times as you have to until you’re comfortable~” Mitsuru smirked. 

“I don’t think that would work. I need to actually love the person for it to feel genuine.”

Makoto let out a laugh from his own amusement when Mitsuru looked at him with his mouth gaped open, clearly offended.

“I’m kidding. I’ll practice with you.”

—

The next day after the practice session with Mitsuru, Makoto placed himself in the Growth dorm awaiting for his boyfriend to come home.

“Remember! If you do feel really anxious, close your eyes and say it. It’ll still have the same meaning.” Mitsuru advised at the end of the session. 

Makoto didn’t think he would have to resort to this tactic, but it still resonated in his thoughts. The doorknob to the dorms started to wiggle, and the sound of the locks turning echoed through the room. This was it. It was Makoto’s time to tell his boyfriend how he felt about him! Except the confidence went away when the idea settled in. The anxious feeling he dreaded took the place of his confidence, and they want to abort the idea of proclaiming his love was all he could think about then. 

The tactic of closing his eyes started to appeal to him. Right when the door began to open, Makoto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

“I love you.”

It was done. Makoto made his confession and slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a very confused Kensuke looking back at him.

“Wow, I...I don’t know what to say.” Kensuke began.

“That wasn’t for you.” Makoto corrected. 

“I mean, I never knew we were so far along with our friendship, Makoto-kun.” Kensuke teased.

“Shut up.”

“I was hoping for maybe a lunch date or two before we used the ‘l’ word, but hey, I love you too, Makoto!”

Kensuke laughed as he was smacked by a pillow thrown at him.

—

The next attempt happened a week later from his accidental confession to Kensuke. Upon seeing the flaws of the “closing your eyes” attempt, Makoto asked the blue-haired man for advice.

“It should come naturally. A spur of a moment type feeling where the only thing can think about is how much you love that special someone.” Kensuke advised with a smile.

“Is that how you confessed to Ryota?”

“Mhm! He didn’t say back, but it was pretty early in our relationship. Still, I got my feelings across, and it felt good!”

“H-He didn’t say it back?” Makoto questioned the one part.

“They never have to say it back. Sometimes it’s harder for people to admit strong feelings like that so easily. Other times, they may not love you back yet or not at all.” 

Makoto’s heart sank, and his eyes dulled to match the awful feeling inside his chest. Kensuke must have picked up on Makoto’s feelings as he let out a small laugh and patted him on the back.

“But don’t worry! Koki love yous!” Kensuke covered up.

It was a lie a man tells when they realized they said something wrong. Still, it gave Makoto comfort at the time. Unfortunately, those horrible feelings of nervousness returned as it grew closer to Makoto’s second attempt to say the phrase to Koki.

Makoto made sure to invite Koki to a home date at his apartment, which guaranteed no other Growth member would be getting an accidental confession. He threatened his fellow unit member not to visit and ruin this for him, or there will be consequences. Everything seemed perfect, yet when Koki entered the apartment using his spare key, Makoto only felt panic. 

However, things went well, and the panic feeling was gone as he enjoyed his time with his boyfriend. Makoto did plan to slip in the ‘I love you’ during dinner, but Koki was so happy to talk about work today it never worked. He knew not to interrupt the rare moments Koki felt extremely talkative since his face would always lit up in joy. 

Makoto’s next attempt was to say the phrase during a mawkish romance movie he had Mitsuru help him pick out. He was hoping during one of the build-up scenes where the destined lovers finally realize they’re in love and want to profess to one another, Makoto will share their feeling to tell Koki. But when the scene came, Makoto looked over to find Koki resting on his shoulder, eyes closed and his breathing steady. His boyfriend was asleep. Yet, even sleeping, Koki had a peaceful angelic presence to him. Makoto gently brushed a piece of blond hair out of Koki’s face, who instinctively nuzzled Makoto’s hand before settling down again.

“I love you.”

Makoto couldn’t help but laugh at his cowardice, but the phrase was genuine and natural. He truly loved Koki, and he knew Koki loved him too. His princely boyfriend wouldn’t have agreed to this dinner date despite a long and busy day at work if he didn’t love Makoto. The ZIX idol leaned down and kissed his boyfriend’s forehead while gently moving Koki’s hand out of the popcorn bowl. He put the bowl onto the table before them and turned off the movie. Closing his eyes, Makoto drifted off to sleep with Koki, and in his dreams, he imagined himself telling his boyfriend ‘I love you’ a million times over.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and You hanging out in the Tsukiuta dorms.

Ever since the dancing contest event, You and Makoto found themselves hanging out a lot. Mostly You would come over to Makoto’s apartment to get away from his leader, Shun, who he referred to as a constant headache. But one night, You invited Makoto over to the dorms revealing that Shun would be working late. Since Makoto had the time, he agreed to come over and spend time with him. 

There, he was presented with You’s ulterior motive in the form of a Dance Dance Revolution game he snuck out of Koi’s room. He had set up the system in the common room and invited Makoto to play with him.

“Why?” Makoto questioned.

“It’ll be fun!” You chuckled.

“You simply can’t accept that I’m the superior dancer here, huh?” 

“Maybe as an idol you are, but as a gamer, I have you beat!”

“Fine, but let’s add some stakes to this game, so I don’t feel so childish.”

“Understandable. Hm, let’s see…” You pondered, tapping his chin. “How about the loser has to go out and buy whatever the winner is craving!”

“Seriously?”

“Well, Yoru and Aoi are most likely asleep. The only person awake and willing to cook for us late-night snacks is Haru, and I promise you, you do not want that.”

Makoto tilted his hand, he was curious about how bad a cook Six Gravity’s Haru was, but he decided not to pry and accept the bet. The poor Sunpro idol was not prepared for what was in store for him and quickly discovered how difficult DDR was. 

“You can always set it on Easy~” You teased.

“Shut up and get the next song ready,” Makoto grumbled.

The rounds went from best two out of three to eventually best six out of eleven. Ultimately, Makoto kept losing, and You turned out the winner each game. 

“Admit defeat?” You let out a breath.

Makoto couldn’t respond, only nod. The game proved to be more of a workout than he anticipated, and he found himself flopping onto the couch next to You.

“I want...a Bai Spicy Chicken Burger from McDonald’s.” You declared.

“What?”

“I’m the winner, so you have to get what I want.” 

“It’s midnight.”

“Perfect! The McDonalds near here closes at 1 am, so hurry up.” 

Makoto groaned and sent a glare at You, who only stuck out his tongue in response. Slowly, Makoto forced himself onto his feet and left the dorms. 

—

Closer to 1 am, one would think a Mcdonald’s would not be so packed. But Makoto sighed as he was stuck in line behind other midnight cravers, waiting to order You’s victory feast. Since he was there, Makoto ordered himself something as well before returning to the dorms. 

You was still on the couch with the tv on playing a rerun of the show Six Gravity’s Hajime’s guest stared in. When Makoto approached the sofa, he saw his friend sleeping soundly.

“Hey, wake up.” Makoto bumped You with the McDonald’s bag causing You to stir awake.

“Hm? Oh yay, my food is here~” You smiled, and Makoto huffed, plopping the bag onto You’s lap.

“Shut up and eat,” Makoto grumbled, pulling out his order. 

You laughed and leaned onto Makoto while opening his order. A slight blush crossed Makoto’s face as he focused on eating his meal. The night lead to Makoto sleeping over as he and You fell asleep on the couch after obtaining full bellies. 

“Aha~! I knew an unknown being had preached my barrier! Sugai Makoto is here~” Shun announced when returning to the dorms in the morning. 

You and Makoto groaned as both of them gained a headache.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No title because I honestly had no ideas. What do you call a fic about two bros playing games and eating Mcdonald's late? Anyway, I hoped you enjoy two fics in one day (Trying to catch up on days I missed OTL)!


End file.
